On Deaf Ears
by StarShinobi
Summary: A different way Furt could have ended.  Kurt doesn't want to go to Dalton and leave everything he has a McKinley behind.  Burt decides to have a talk with Figgins about protecting Kurt but if that goes wrong... Burt/Kurt Father/son relationship.


Ok, so I just had to write this one. I had an idea of how things could have gone a little differently during Furt. For this, everything is the same except the decision to go to Dalton wasn't made the day Kurt was told Kurovsky was coming back. This is my first Glee fic so please read and let me know how I did. Constructive criticism is always welcome!

Warnings: Mentions of bullying, language, and as always, angst.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, just a story idea.

* * *

"One night a father overheard his son pray: Dear God, make me the kind of man my daddy is. Later that night, the father prayed, Dear God, make me the kind of man my son wants me to be."

-Unknown

* * *

This was not supposed how things were supposed to be.

That was all Burt Hummel could think about as his new family ate their dinner in silence, only the sounds of silverware hitting plates could be heard. Finn sat next to him, shoveling food into his mouth while Carole sat on his other side simply nibbling on her salad as she shot worried glances at Kurt every few seconds. But nothing bothered him more than his own son.

The pain of his arrhythmia was nothing in comparison to the pain Burt felt in his heart when he looked at the teen. Kurt was sitting across from him, his hand on his chin as he stared out the window. His mind was obviously racing as his eyes shifted back and forth, tracking images that only he could see. Tears were forming in his eyes, but Burt could see he was trying hard not to let fall and allow anyone notice.

But what disturbed Burt the most, what caused the rage to build in his chest, was the look of utter terror that was fixed in Kurt's eyes. Burt knew that Kurt was afraid of that Karofsky kid; he knew that Kurt was terrified of him, especially after the death threat, but seeing his son like this made it even more real.

His son could really get hurt by this kid.

"Kurt?" said Burt pulling Finn and Carole's attention to the young man, however, the countertenor didn't even seem to notice anyone was speaking to him. He only continued to stare off into his waking nightmares in fear. "Kurt, son?" he said a little louder.

The boy before him gave a small start before he looked at his father, the fear changing to sadness and exhaustion. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Kurt sounded fine to Burt, trying to sound as if he had been listening to the conversation he assumed had been going on. He had even picked up his fork and began moving the food around on his plate to make it look like he was eating. The anger began rising in Burt's chest again. His son shouldn't have to act like this.

"Are you alright?" he asked, already convinced that his son was about to lie to him.

"I'm fine," replied Kurt, attempting and almost succeeding to present a convincing smile. "I'm just…thinking about the solo Mr. Schuester gave me today for sectionals. I'm a little nervous about it."

"Don't lie to me," said Burt, a little more harshly than he meant to. He realized his mistake when the fear returned to his son's eyes. He felt an immediate need to fix it. "Please," he said more quietly, "please, don't lie to me."

The fear turned to anger, though his face and voice remained controlled. "I'm not lying. Mr. Shue did give me a solo."

"He really did," said Finn, completely missing his mother's gestures to stay out of this. "Rachel is really bent out of shape about it. She's always wanted to do …"

"Finn," said Carole, effectively stopping the teen.

"Oh," he said finally realizing his mistake.

"It's not the solo, Kurt," said Burt, trying to let the understanding show in his voice rather than the anger he felt toward the Karofsky kid for putting his boy through this hell. "You've sang a hundred times and I have never seen you like this, even with that girl's song you botched on purpose."

"Wait, you blew that song on purpose?" asked Finn. "Why would you…?"

"Not now, sweetie," said Carole, her voice still sweet but filled with warning.

"Point is, I'm not an idiot," said Burt, looking straight at his son despite the fact that Kurt's eyes were now fixed on his plate of untouched food. "You're distracted. You're not eating and you look like…you look terrified. I don't know exactly what you're thinking, but I know what you're thinking about. Kurt, we need to talk about this."

"No we don't," said Kurt, his eyes snapping back to his father's, "not right now."

"We're a family now, Kurt," said Burt, looking at Carole who nodded in return. "When one of us struggles, we all do. Karofsky …"

"Don't," said Kurt angrily, tears threatening to fall from his eyes now. "Not here. This is the one part of my life he hasn't touched yet."

"That isn't true, son," said Burt, his voice softening at the pain in his son's eyes. "The minute that boy threatened you, it involved this entire family. This is as much our problem as it is yours."

"No, Dad, you're sick," said the countertenor pleadingly.

"That's not an excuse for making my son go through this alone," said Burt, dying inside as a tear fell down his boy's face. "I am supposed to take care of you, to protect you from people like this… jackwagon, and he's going to be back at your school tomorrow. This boy threatened your life, Kurt."

"I know that."

"I think what your father is trying to say is that we need to figure out what to do, honey," said Carole, reaching out to squeeze the young man's hand. Burt could hardly believe it when Kurt pulled his hand back.

Burt looked over at his new wife. The action had definitely hurt her and she slowly moved her hand back to her lap. She turned and met Burt's eyes before nodding to him in affirmation and encouragement. He took a deep breath before starting into what he knew was going to end up being a big argument. "Kurt, Carol and I were talking about this whole Karofsky thing and we both agree… We think this guy is a real threat to you and we don't want anything to happen to you." Burt looked into his son's eyes, filled with fear and confusion. He never wanted his son to feel this way, which gave him the courage to continue. "So, we decided to use the money we saved for the honeymoon to pay for tuition at Dalton."

There was an eerie silence that filled the room as Burt waited for his boy's reaction. He watched as the look in Kurt's eyes changed from shock to an almost guilty anger. "Absolutely not."

"We agreed this is the best thing for you, sweetie," said Carol, obviously making a conscious effort not to reach for his hand again. "This boy could really hurt you and we could never live with ourselves if we didn't do everything possible to keep you safe."

"No!" said Kurt. "What about my friends? What about your honeymoon? What about glee?" he said as another tear fell down his cheek.

"What about you?" came Finn's voice.

"Et tu, Finn?" said Kurt darkly.

"Huh?" asked Finn confused. "Doesn't matter. Kurt, you're so worried about everyone else, but what about you?" Burt wanted to add to the argument, but he saw how Finn's words were getting through. Kurt's face was changing from anger, to confusion, to guilt and every other emotion possible. "I've seen how this guy affects you. You've lost weight, you can't concentrate, and now he's threatened to kill you. Do you think any of this is going to get easier?"

"I…I don't…" Burt could see that the situation was really starting to get to his son as his breathing became labored.

"Just breath," said Carol, Kurt finally allowing her to grab his hand to comfort him. "It's okay. Nice deep breaths."

There was a long pause as Kurt struggled to control himself. "I'm scared all the time," said Kurt after regaining some of his composure, though his voice still shook with tears. "I want to be away from him but I don't want to leave everything I have here. I have friends at McKinley, I have glee, and I have all of you here. Plus, Dalton is so expensive."

"I don't want you to go either, Kurt," said Finn, "but this may be the best option, the only option really. As much as I want to believe we can, I don't think the glee club and Coach Sylvester can protect you all the time."

"I know," said Kurt, the tears freely falling down his face now. "I want to go, but I don't want to _leave_."

"I know, buddy," said Burt, feeling the unfamiliar tingle of forming tears at his son's turmoil. "How about this, I'll go talk to Principle Figgins tomorrow morning. If we can figure out something, we'll have you start and see how it goes."

"Okay."

"But if we can't, I am pulling you out immediately and we'll enroll you at Dalton. Fair?"

Burt saw the relief wash over the small teen, knowing that a decision could be made, guilt-free, based on the next day's outcome. "Fair," he said, the tension in his voice almost non-existent. Burt smiled at his son. "Could I be excused? I'm not really that hungry."

"Sure," said Burt as Kurt stood from the table.

"I'll put it in the fridge in case you get hungry later," said Carol, giving the boy a small smile.

Kurt gave her a sad smile in return. "Thank you, I'll be in my room if you need me." With that, Kurt descended the stairs to the basement.

"Poor, Kurt," said Carol. "At least it went better than we thought it would."

"Yeah," said Burt, still upset over his son's pain. "Finn, buddy, could you keep and eye on him tomorrow?"

"I'll keep both on him," said Finn, pushing his unfinished plate of food away. The situation had diminished his insatiable appetite as well.

"Thank you," he said. "We should know what to do tomorrow morning." He had a feeling that whatever way this went, tomorrow was going to be a long day.

* * *

Burt couldn't help but notice how much Kurt's hands were shaking as he turned off the truck in the McKinley High School parking lot. His face was pale as he kept his eyes on the dashboard, trying to avoid looking at the students that passed by the vehicle. Burt reached over to squeeze his son's shoulder, but was surprised to see Finn's already there.

"Don't worry," he heard Finn say. "I'll stay with you whenever I can and Puck will be there when I can't, okay?"

Kurt nodded and Burt couldn't help but smile at the boys' interaction. Finn and Kurt had come a long way since their fight in the basement all those months ago.

"You'll be alright," said Burt, giving the boy a smile. "This will be figured out by the end of the day, one way or another."

Kurt unsuccessfully tried to give his father a reassuring smile. "Just take it easy, okay Dad? Your heart…"

"Will be fine," said Burt. "It's not glass, just rusty is all. It'll be okay." Kurt gave his dad another nod, this time with a more convincing smile.

"You ready?" asked Finn, giving Kurt's shoulder a squeeze.

"As I'll ever be," he replied opening the door and exiting his refuge.

The trio entered the facility without any issues before coming to a hallway junction where the boys would split fro Burt. "I'll let you know how t goes when we're done," he said.

"Okay," said Kurt, his eyes shifting around, obviously looking for Karofsky.

"Hey, you be careful today, alright?" he said pulling his son into a hug.

"I will," said Kurt as he returned the embrace.

"Finn…"

"I'm all over it," he said.

"Okay, I'll see you boys later." The boys each said their goodbyes before leaving their father. Burt had just gotten around the corner when…

"Hey there, Ladyface."

"What do you want, Karofsky?" asked Finn. Burt was almost proud of how venomous he sounded.

"Nothin', just saying hello to my good friend here."

"Keep walking, Dave."

"You can't make me," said Karofsky mockingly. "I've been found innocent. It seems Hummel here can't charm everyone with his lies."

"Get away from me," came Kurt's voice. Burt was surprised by how dark it was, like a cornered rabid dog.

"I said move along," said Finn loudly.

"Enjoy your past couple days, homo?" said Karofsky, completely ignoring the fact that Finn had even addressed him.

"Dave…"

"You know, your bodyguards can't be with you all the time, and when that happens…" he trailed off, obviously to let Kurt's mind to fill in the possibilities.

Burt was moving before he even realized what he was doing, but he didn't get very far before another voice brought him to a halt.

"David Karofsky," Burt heard as he turned the corner. That woman…Sylvester, was standing by the boys between Kurt and Karofsky. Burt felt his heart break as he took in the sight of his son with his back as far against the wall as he could manage behind his stepbrother. "I see they finally let you off your leash. Seems as though you're giving Mr. Hummel here some trouble."

"No trouble, just passing by," he said innocently.

"I'm not an idiot, jerkwad, so don't play me as one. I, unlike those Neanderthals on the school board, know you should have been expelled. So I warn you, I have my eyes on you, all of them, and if you so much as put a toe out of line, I will cut it off and feed it to you. Do I make myself clear?" It was almost eerie how soft and calm her words were.

"Y…yes ma'am." Burt could hear the fear in the young man's voice. Thank God for this woman.

Seconds later, that boy rounded the corner and ran directly into Burt who stared him down with an icy glare. "Stay away from my son."

Karofsky gave Burt an insubordinate smile. "Mr. Hummel, your son is a liar, the school board decided that. I'm sorry that you can't see it." And with that, the young man walked away, leaving Burt seeing red. He turned to follow the boy, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Hold on there, big guy," said Coach Sylvester. "You can't follow him. It won't help Porcelain and it definitely won't help your cause."

"Porcelain?"

"Your kid," she said. "Look, you messing with that boy will only make things worse for your son. I, on the other hand, am feared by all of the students at this school, including Ham Hock there. So, leave the student harassment to me. I plan on keeping that wolf away from my prize lamb."

Burt found it odd that this woman was comparing his son to a fluffy farm animal, but remembered how Kurt had helped her win the Cheerios nationals last year. "Couldn't that get you fired? Harassing students is against the law."

Sue shook her head at the mechanic. "As John Adams said during World War II as he snuck into the IMAX theater to watch a production of Rent. 'It isn't illegal until you get caught.'" With that, the tall woman began walking in the same direction the bully had gone, the students parting like the red sea as she passed.

Burt shook his head and laughed to himself. The woman was as loony as a three dollar bill but at least her crazy was working in Kurt's favor. He began walking down the hall until he found himself in front of the glass doors of the principle's office.

"Do you have an appointment?" asked the secretary kindly as she pulled out a calendar notebook from her top desk drawer and opened it to the day's schedule.

"Um, no" said Burt, shoving his hands into his jean pockets, "it was kind of a spur of the moment thing. I was hoping I could just have a minute of his time. I really need to speak with him about my son."

"What is your son's name?" she asked kindly.

"Kurt, Kurt Hummel," he said hesitantly. He didn't know why. Maybe he was just used to hearing an adverse reaction to his son's name. It almost sickened him to think that he had become accustomed to that.

"Oh," she said, her face lighting up a bit. "I remember him. Don't see him very much in here, which is always a good thing. Means he is a good kid. I will go and ask Mr. Figgins if he has a moment to speak with you." With that, she got up from her chair and headed through the glass doors to the principal's office. Burt watched as the woman got his attention. He watched the shock spread over the man's face as she told him Kurt Hummel's father was there; his eyes darting to Burt then back to his secretary. He said something to her before his worried face returned to the papers on his desk.

The secretary turned, shaking her head as she exited back into the reception area. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hummel, Mr. Figgins is too busy to see anyone today. If you would like I can set up an appointment for you next week…"

"Bull," said Burt calmly, yet with a twinge of anger.

"I…I'm sorry."

"I said bull," he said again, this time a little more anger playing into his voice. "He isn't that busy that he can't talk to a parent about how his kid is being bullied at his school. That man is just too much of a coward to talk to me because he knows exactly why I am here." He didn't want to be mean to this women, he knew it wasn't her fault, but he would not be ignore. Not this time. "So if you don't mind, I am going to go in and speak with Mr. Figgins now."

The secretary just stared at him with her mouth open as Burt opened the door and walked into Mr. Figgin's office. "I said I do not have time for Mr. Hummel today," said Figgins without even looking up from his papers.

"Well you're gonna make time," said Burt angrily. Figgin's head shot up form his desk, his eyes filled with fear. _This guy really doesn't want to talk to me_, thought Burt. "Look, I'm not looking for a fight here. I'm just trying to look out for my son. This Karofsky kid…something has to be done."

"Mr. Hummel, we have been through this already," said Figgins in a tired voice. "I cannot expel Mr. Karofsky…"

"I'm not here to call for this kid's expulsion," said Burt, more irritation taking a hold of his mind. "I just want to make sure that something will be done to protect my son from that guy."

"And what would you ask us to do?"

"I don't know," said Burt throwing his hands up in the air. "Make sure that they aren't in the same classes. Keep them on separate sides of the school. At least threaten the jerk with expulsion if he continues to harass my boy."

"We can't single out a student like that, especially one that was just exonerated of his alleged crimes by the school board. To do that would be showing favoritism toward one student over another. We can't conduct favoritism here."

"No one is helping him! Do you understand how scared my boy is?" he said, motioning toward the hallway where students were still walking to their first class. "Just saying that kid's name makes him start to tear up. Now I know my boy isn't the most macho of men, but that is abnormal even for him!"

"Mr. Hummel…"

"I am still trying to understand how you let that kid back in here."

"There were no witnesses to prove that any of these interactions with your son even occurred," said Figgins.

"Bullshit," said Burt as he leaned against the desk. "It happened everyday, of course someone saw it. Did the school council even bother to ask the students if anyone had seen anything?"

"We can't slander a student's name because another student made a claim," he said calmly. "If we do anything now, everyone will believe that you a re just trying to get David expelled! You have a vendetta against this boy."

"That jerk _just_ threatened my son in the hallway. It happened right in front of my eyes. My stepson literally had to step between them to keep Kurt safe. If you needed proof all you had to do was ask any of those glee club kids…"

"I am truly sorry, Mr. Hummel, but there is nothing I can do. The school board has decided that David Karofsky is not a threat so I cannot do any of the things you are asking."

"But I bet you could if he were straight."

"Excuse me?"

"I bet if Kurt were straight you and the school board would have worked a lot harder to keep him safe," said Burt venomously. "Everyone says that Kurt is just gonna have to get used to being treated badly because of the life he _chose,_ like he _chose_ to be gay, like it's punishable. What's it gonna take for you to take what is happening to my son seriously? Does someone have to die like those kids on TV to get someone to do something?"

"That's out of line!" yelled Figgins as he stood from his chair.

"Is it? My boy is so afraid for his safety that he shakes every time that Karofsky kid's name is even mentioned!" Burt yelled, no longer caring that he was pulling the attention on the students in the hall or making the secretary uncomfortable. "I watched my son shake last night as we discussed what to do about this guy. I had to talk to my boy about leaving this school because if he stays, that bully could make good on a threat that no one is paying attention to! My boy was brave enough to come forward, to ask for help, and what did he get for it? Nothing. You were willing to put the wolf in with the sheep. What is he supposed to do? It's no secret Kurt's not the strongest or most intimidating kid and now thanks to all of you, he has a target on his back!"

"There is nothing I can do! I don't have a choice in the matter!"

"Then neither do I!" yelled Burt slamming his fist on the desk. Silence hung in the air for a moment before Burt released an exasperated sigh and continued more calmly. "I will not let my boy die here. I'm pulling him from this school immediately, but you can bet this isn't over."

Burt didn't miss the principal's eyes narrowing as he turned to exit the office. "Are you threatening me, Mr. Hummel?"

Burt's hand stopped on the door handle. "Does it matter?" he asked calmly over his shoulder. "No one is here to see it. They have nothing but your word and look how well that worked for my son." With that, Burt exited the office, allowing the door to close behind him as the bell rang to signify the beginning of first period.

* * *

The bell rang through the empty bathroom and Kurt moved his shaking hands to unlock the stall door. After his run in with Karofsky, he needed to find a place to pull himself back together. So he excused himself, telling Finn he needed to use the bathroom next to his class before first period, and locked himself in the stall. He hated this bathroom. It was dirty and smelled like old sweat socks, but no one used it which meant he wouldn't run into that monster here.

He exited the stall and walked over to the sink, taking in his appearance. When he had left the house, he had so meticulously put himself together. His hair had been perfect, his skin flawless, and his clothes immaculate. The person he looked back at him in that grungy mirror was not the Kurt Hummel that had left the house this morning. Karofsky had caused his hair to ruffle and his eyes to redden with tears.

And worst of all was Karofsky had done it without even laying a finger on him.

He hated that the jock had such power over him. He didn't want to be scared anymore. He didn't want to cry all of the time, but what Karofsky did to him went way above normal bullying. Dave was escalating and Kurt shuddered when he thought of where this could be going. Maybe his dad was right. Maybe leaving was the best option, but his friends, his life, was here.

Kurt splashed water on his face in an attempt to hide the tear tracks that stained his cheeks. He needed to look strong, like nothing was wrong. He didn't need anyone, especially his dad, to think that anything was wrong. He dried his face with one of the restrooms scratchy paper towels and attempted to adjust his hair before inspecting his appearance in the mirror.

Passable, but that was probably about as good as he was going to get. So, he threw his bag over his shoulder, straightened his posture, and pushed the door open to the hall. He was as ready as he was going to ever be, and besides, he was late for class.

* * *

Burt exited the office, trying desperately to control himself and not throw his fist into the nearest wall. How could this happen? How could someone jeopardize a teenager's safety when it was so blatantly in danger? He just couldn't wrap his mind around it. He began his trek toward the choir room to get his boy, walking without really thinking, when the door in front of him swung open, nearly slamming into his face.

He was about to tell the kid off, tell him to be careful or he was going to hurt someone when he realized he knew the kid in front of him. "Kurt?" he said, causing the elfin-faced boy to turn.

"Dad," he said. Burt saw the look on Kurt's face change from an obviously fake content to a saddened relief. He knew what Burt was going to say before he even needed to.

"I'm sorry, Kurt…"

"It's ok, Dad," he said sadly, yet with a twinge of contentment. "Can I go tell the glee club?"

"Of course, kiddo," he said sadly, placing his hand on Kurt's shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. "I'll meet you in the car."

"Okay, dad."

As Burt watched his son walk away, a realization hit him. This was why his son acted like he did, why he didn't feel like he could share his problems with anyone. This probably wasn't the first time Kurt had tried to get help with the issues he had at school, and it definitely wasn't the first time he had been denied help. He had been forced to rely on himself to solve his problems.

Because his words could only fall on deaf ears for so long before he rationalized that it was just that no one was listening.

* * *

"Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad."

Proverb quotes

* * *

How'd I do? I have been working on this one for a while; couldn't seem to get it just right. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it. I absolutely love the Burt/Kurt father son relationship. Everybody should have a dad like Burt!


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